Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.
Glad To Be Unhappy
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Awfully glad to be unhappy
I can't win but here I am
More than glad to be unhappy
Unrequited love's a bore, yeah
And I've got it pretty bad
But for someone you adoreIt's a pleasure to be sad
Like a straying baby lamb
With no mama and no papa
I'm so unhappy, yeah
Unrequited love's a bore, yeah
And I've got it pretty bad
But for someone you adore
It's a pleasure to be sad
Like a straying baby lamb
With no mama and no papa
I'm so unhappy, yeah
But oh so glad
Sammy Davis Jr.'s song Glad To Be Unhappy is a melancholic tune that reveals the paradoxical pleasure of being unhappy. The first two lines suggest that the singer has made a hasty decision, ignored the cautionary phrase "fools rush in..." and found himself in an unfortunate situation. The next two lines reveal that despite his loss or failure, he is content with his unhappy state. The repetition of the phrase "glad to be unhappy" highlights the irony of the singer's emotional struggle. He seems to celebrate his sadness, as if it is a badge of honor rather than a source of pain.
The following lines liken the singer's unrequited love to that of a lonely and abandoned lamb. The metaphor is poignant, evoking feelings of helplessness and desperation. However, the singer still finds pleasure in his sadness, for the object of his affection. He then repeats the second verse, emphasizing that unrequited love is a "bore" and that he is "pretty bad" but ultimately accepts his fate. The final line, "But oh so glad," epitomizes the singer's contradictory emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Fools rush in, so here I am
I know I shouldn't have fallen for this person, but I did anyway
Awfully glad to be unhappy
Being sad because of this person I love actually brings me a strange sort of satisfaction
I can't win but here I am
I know I'll never win this person's love, but I keep trying anyway
More than glad to be unhappy
I'd rather feel the pain of unrequited love than not feel anything at all
Unrequited love's a bore, yeah
Loving someone who doesn't love you back is dull and uninteresting
And I've got it pretty bad
But my feelings for this person are so strong, even though they aren't returned
But for someone you adore
Despite the pain, being sad over this person is worth it because I adore them
It's a pleasure to be sad
Somehow, the sadness is enjoyable because it's tied to my love for this person
Like a straying baby lamb
I feel lost and alone without this person's love
With no mama and no papa
I'm completely without guidance or support in my pursuit of this person
I'm so unhappy, yeah
My love for this person brings me immense pain and sorrow
But oh so glad
But at the same time, I'm content to feel anything at all for them, even if it's sadness
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind